Draymond Green

It was inevitable that multiple players on the Warriors would have to relinquish some responsibilities on the offensive end in 2016-17 following the big-ticket signing of Kevin Durant last summer, and as it turned out, Green and Stephen Curry were the main victims. The decli...

Green totaled five points (2-4 FG, 1-3 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists and four blocks across 31 minutes in Tuesday's 125-105 loss to the Thunder. He was ejected with 8:13 remaining in the game after picking up a second technical foul.

While Stephen Curry became the NBA’s first unanimous MVP, it’s tough to argue that Green wasn’t the heart and soul of the best regular season team in league history. In his fourth NBA season, Green took his all-around production to another level, averaging 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game and becoming the first player ever to reach each of those statistical baselines in a single season. Green, who finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and seventh in MVP voting, shot a career-best 49 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from distance, both career bests. While Green should only continue to improve as he enters his age-26 season, he, and the rest of the Warriors, will have to adjust to playing alongside Kevin Durant. Durant shouldn’t directly impact Green’s stranglehold on his hybrid power forward/center position, but Durant’s status as a high-usage player could decrease Green’s role as a playmaker. As a result, Green’s scoring and, in particular, his assist numbers, are likely to regress, though his other counting stats and shooting efficiency should be relatively safe.

2015-16

A training-camp injury to David Lee opened up an opportunity for Green, who grabbed the starting power forward job, never relinquished it, and became a breakout star in 2014-15. In 79 games, he averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 32 minutes per game. That's some serious multi-category production. Green's not all trash talk. He's worked hard on his game since entering the NBA in 2012-13, particularly in the area of shooting. A 33-percent shooter as a rookie, Green improved to 44 percent last year while becoming a credible threat as a three-point shooter. As Warriors head coach Steve Kerr navigated the season, he discovered his best lineup was a smaller unit that used Green as a center on some occasions. He defends every position on the court and has one of those off-the-charts basketball IQs, which he uses to study video and spot opponents' tendencies. He became indispensable to Golden State and the organization recognized that. It took the team less than a day into the free-agency period to sign him up for another five years and $82 million. That's not bad money for a former second-round pick.

2014-15

Green made great strides between his first and second NBA seasons. Known as a multi-purpose gadget in the Warriors' toolbox – he plays two positions, defends three, and has a basketball IQ off the charts – Green showed an improved shooting touch in 2013-14 and earned himself nine more minutes per game. As a rookie, Green bricked his way to 33-percent field-goal shooting and just 21 percent from three-point range. In his sophomore season, Green improved in those categories to 41 and 33 percent, respectively. His improvements as a shooter allowed former head coach Mark Jackson to give Green more playing time, which meant he could use a variety of skills to impact games. Green rebounds, defends, blocks shots, and moves the ball well. Above all, he plays with confidence. In 82 games, Green averaged 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 22 minutes per game. With the Warriors a little thin in the frontcourt, Green should get minutes at power forward, and he'll be a staple in the lineup when new head coach Steve Kerr wants to go small.

2013-14

Green will reprise his role off the bench as the Swiss army knife in head coach Mark Jackson's toolbox. There's not one defined role or spot in the rotation for him. He plays three positions, is a willing defender, rebounds, passes, has good court sense and doesn't lack confidence. On the other hand, he doesn't shoot the ball well (33 percent FG, 21 percent 3Pt), nor is he possessed with great athleticism. He averaged just 13 minutes per game as a rookie in 2012-13, and a deeper wing rotation this season will keep a lid on his opportunities.

2012-13

The Warriors gave Green a three-year contract with two years guaranteed, so they’re high on the second-round pick and four-year collegiate from Michigan State. Green has basketball smarts and can make an impact without the ball, though it’s hard to see him playing a big role this season. Working against him is the dreaded “tweener” label – too big as a three, not big enough as a four. Still, the Warriors feel they have a ball-player in Green.